The Israeli Ministry of Finance has requested the OECD to include a section on banking competition in its regular biennial report on the Israeli economy. This request was made without informing the management of the Bank of Israel, according to the ynet portal. It is customary for the OECD to conduct an audit on a specific topic in addition to the general report, with the topic usually chosen by the country’s leadership.
The choice of the Ministry of Finance to focus on banking competition has angered the Chairman of the Bank of Israel, Professor Amir Yaron. The central bank’s leadership is concerned that conducting an audit on this topic during wartime could potentially weaken the stability of the banking system and be used for populist initiatives. The Bank of Israel’s press service emphasized that they would prefer to conduct such an audit during peacetime.
It is important to note that other articles and websites are unrelated to the topic of banking competition and the struggle between the Ministry of Finance and the Bank of Israel. These unrelated topics seem to range from online lotteries to casino bonuses, insurance, and even watch faces, with no clear connection to the current issue.